A million more Australian households have signed up for broadband internet since 2005-06, according to figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
This brings total broadband connections up to 3.5 million, or 43 per cent of all households.
The Australian Capital Territory has the highest proportion of broadband connections, at 58 per cent of households. Lowest connections were in Tasmania, 32 per cent and South Australia, 33 per cent. Other states ranged from 44 - 46 per cent.
Nearly three-quarters (73 per cent or 6 million) of Australian households have access to a computer, and 5 million of these have internet access. This is a five-fold increase in the number of household internet connections in less than ten years.
The survey also found that the internet is used daily by half (50 per cent) of all Australians over the age of 15, and almost all (91 per cent) use it at least weekly. People with lower levels of education, older people (55 years and over), indigenous people and unemployed people had considerably lower internet usage.
Other findings include:
- Metropolitan areas had considerably higher broadband connectivity (49 per cent) than other areas (34 per cent).
- Households with children under 15 had higher broadband access (57 per cent) compared to households without (38 per cent).
- Higher income households also had higher access rates.
